422 FAMILY PHOCIDJE. 



ence is necessary, since these descriptions became later the basis y 

 in part or wholly, of various systematic names. 



As early as 1741 the Harp Seal and the Crested Seal were- 

 figured (or caricatured) by Egede* under the names respectively 

 of Svartsiide and Klapmiits. He says in the accompanying text 

 that Seals are of different sorts and sizes, but have all the same 

 shape, except the Kla/pmutSj which is the only species he ex- 

 pressly distinguishes in the text. Ellis,t in 1748, again rudely 

 figured these two species under the names "Blackside Seal" 

 and " Seal with a Oawl ". Although he gives of them no descrip- 

 tions, subsequent systematic writers have seen fit to cite the 

 names and figures given by both these writers, but their interest 

 is purely historic. 



The same year (1748) was also published in Alison's " Voy- 

 age "$ the first specially important account of the Southern Sea- 

 Elephant (" Sea Lion" of Anson), since it became later the basis 

 of Llnne's Phoca leonina, and, besides, is one of the fullest and 

 most explicit descriptions of the habits of the species extant. 



Steller, in his memoir entitled " De Bestiis Marinis", published 

 in 1751, distinguished three species of Seals as follows : "Dis- 

 tinguo auteni phocas ratione magnitudinis in tres species, in 

 ! maximam, quae magnitudine Taurum superat, ac solummodo in 

 oceano Orientali a gradu latitudiiiis 56. ad 50. occurrit, ac in colis 

 | Kamtschaticis Lachtak vocatur. Mediae magnitudinis, quae om- 

 , nes Tigridum iristar, multis exiguis maculis variae sunt, 3. in- 

 fimae magnitudinis, itt Oceanica, quae tain in inari Balthico y 

 quam circa portum Sti Archangeli, in Suecia, JSorwegia, Amer- 

 ica et Kaintschatka capitur, et lacustris dulcium aquarum mono- 

 chroa sen unicolor, ut Baikali ea coloris argeutei." The first 

 two of the species here thus briefly mentioned, have been quoted 

 by Schreber, Erxleben, Gmelin, and by some later writers, as, 

 respectively, " Phoca maxima, Steller" (also u Lachtak, Steller"),. 

 and "Phoca ocean-tea, Steller," the first being referred to Phoca 

 ~barbata, and the other sometimes to Phoca mtulina and sometimes 

 to Phoca grcenlandica. 



In 1744 Parsons published a paper entitled "Some Account 



* Det gamle Gr^nlauds uye Perlustration, eller Natural-Historic, og Besk- 

 rivelse over diet gamle Gr0nlands Situation, Luft, Temperament og Beskaffen- 

 hed, etc. 1741. Plate facing p. 46. He also figures the common Seal under 

 the name Spraglet. 



t A Voyage to Hudson's Bay, etc., 1748, plate facing p. 134. 



t A Voyage around the World in 1740-1744, p. 172. 



$ Nov. Comm. Acad. Petrop., torn, ii, p. 290. 



